Rory Sutherland’s recall to Scotland’s starting XV for only his second start since last July is a big opportunity for the loose-head prop on a number of levels.
Firstly, it is a chance to help his team kick-start their World Cup campaign after a rather deflating – but not disastrous – loss to South Africa just under a fortnight ago.
Secondly, it is a chance to get some much-needed traction in the tug-of-war battle for the dark blue No 1 jersey which he has been losing against Pierre Schoeman (and Jamie Bhatti) for the last 18 months.
Thirdly, and most importantly, it is a chance for him to send out a ‘come and get me’ call to potential employers after becoming a free agent at the end of last season.
“It is a massive opportunity for me this week," he said. "There is a bit of pressure but like everything else – other adversities I’ve overcome during my career – you have to learn to park it.
“Put it to the back of your mind, take things day by day, week by week, and focus on what is important in the here and now. For me, that’s playing well against Tonga this weekend.”
Having been been left high and dry by the bankruptcy of Worcester Warriors last September, Sutherland managed to secure a short-term deal with Ulster the following month, but that was always going to be a temporary arrangement given that Springbok 2019 World Cup winner Steven Kitshoff is joining the province next season.
As Sutherland now looks for a new club, he is acutely aware that his status as a senior international player is a double-edged sword in a fraught employment market.
“With Worcester and the likes of Wasps folding, it has flooded the market with players, and me going to Ulster and then not being able to continue there, has not really helped. It has come along at a bad time,” he reflects.
“It also comes down to the salary cap because if people are not looking for a loose-head then they are not going to bring one in as an extra.
“We’re really hopeful that I’ll find a contract, but we’ll just have to sit tight and wait and hopefully something comes along.
“I’m not in a position to be picky [about where I sign next]. I would like to stay in Scotland. That would be nice – lovely for the family and kids not to have to move again. But we’re perfectly willing and we’ve talked a lot about moving away, so if the opportunity comes, we’ll do it.
The Hawick native has had to overcome a fair amount of adversity during his nine years to date in professional rugby, not least a horrific injury in late 2016 when he ripped both sides of his groin completely off the bone during the warm-up to a Edinburgh versus Harlequins game.
"It felt like a shotgun going off between my legs," he later said. He ended up wheelchair bound for a month, largely bed-ridden for three and rehabilitating for 14. During that time, he was told he may never take a comfortable step again, and advised by various specialists that he should forget about rugby as a career.
It says something of the man’s character that he not only returned to rugby, but then produced the best form of his career to earn selection for the 2021 Lions tour to South Africa, going on to feature in the first and second Tests.
And he is clearly just as determined to ensure that this latest challenge doesn’t spell the end of his career, which must be something he has considered in light of his old school buddy Stuart Hogg hanging up his boots at the start of this summer.
“I would be lying if I said I was over it [the closure of Worcester],” he added. “It is still something that is in the back of my mind and not just for the rugby, but because my wife Tammy and the kids loved it there.
“Mason and Hamish started school in Scotland so moving to Worcester was a big thing for them, but they went there and integrated well – they were great in school – so to take that away from them again was hard for us.
“The sole focus was just making sure I got out of that rut I was stuck in, trying to find another club, and then worry about everything else after that. I found a very good club and went to Belfast where I worked under very good coaches, and they played a big role in me being at this World Cup."
A big game against Tonga on Saturday could open a few doors.
